The Man Who Fell
by EternalRevival
Summary: In the astral planes, Noctis' one duty is to protect Eos from the scourge that is Ardyn Izunia. But through the millenniums of their confinement, their prison breaks leaving Izunia to bring havoc across the world once again and Noctis scrambling to stop him. There is only one additional problem. They have ended up in the past.
1. Chapter 1

Noctis felt the shift before any other forewarning could present itself. The world turning beneath them, phasing in and out of existence, blurring between reality and fiction as Noctis struggled to keep awake against the dizzying changes that occurred more frequently than he could blink. "Izunia," he said in warning though the other, standing with his back towards Noctis remained silent and stoic in his vigilance.

The two had been stuck in the astral plane for centuries. An endless plight of nothing and nothingness. It was Ardyn's dream to destroy the world, and thus it was Noct's duty to kill him. Yet the two could gain no advantage over the other in a world where nothing existed, and so, a silent truce had grown between them. It had been Noct's silent yet unwavering will to guard his ancestor for the sake of all he held dear, and, for a time, it had seemed even Izunia, hell bent on revenge, had found his efforts of escaping the astral plane fruitless. For he could not leave without the consent of Noct, who controlled the comings and goings of their world, just as Noct dared not leave his side, for the fear of his tactless mind left to its own devices.

Yet today was different. Noct could not see this change nor could he pinpoint the exact point at which it had twisted and turned into some unrecognizable deviation, but, either way, by the time he had noticed it, it had been too late. The world was being ripped apart thread by thread right before Noct's eyes and it had festered so long that the chosen king could no longer control it.

And Ardyn Izunia couldn't look any happier.

His hat was pulled down low against his brow with his body lax. The chancellor's lips now twisted into a frightening smile that curled wide and sinister against his face. The very same look, the very same stance, that Noct had seen on the other eons before when hope had been so close it had been tangible. The exact same face so long ago just before everything had been ripped away from Noct again and again was the same look Izunia had now. It was almost as if nothing had changed, and Noctis was forced to watch the reign of hell returning, creeping against the light.

Emotions did not come easily in a place where time did not exist and nothing mattered but your enemy standing before you. Noctis knew this. He had long let go of his hate for the other, had banished the hope for salvation, yet he could not completely disregard the regret he felt when he was alive. The raw pain of loss alone stayed with him for eternity after eternity and even Izunia seemed to take joy in watching the few rare moments when human sentiment seemed to return to Noctis. First slowly then, sometimes, suddenly in an outburst of pure emotions that Noct, no longer used to such feelings, could barely suppress and control. In such moments, the astral plane would reflect his mood, twist and turn like clay molded by his desires, yet Noct was quick to relinquish his emotions and quell it into nothing but white sound against the back of his mind. Yet now, the astral plane was shifting and it was not of Noct's doing. He could not stop the shifts, couldn't keep the world together as Izunia slowly tore it apart, and for the first time in centuries, Noct felt the rise of an emotion besides regret: fear.

He felt the air rush from his lungs as the panic began to settle and he realized Ardyn Izunia was destroying the very planes which bound him. The cage which Noct had vowed to guard was now being broken piece by piece as Noct could only watch helplessly, with pure desperation.

And Izunia did nothing but smile.

"Izunia, stop this at once!" Noctis called out again in warning as he took a dangerous step forward towards the man, but Izunia was not backing down. The world continued to warp out of shape, distorted by the folds of the universe pressed against their small plateau of existence, and Noctis came to the horrifying realization that Izunia would escape. But Izunia is a demon that could not exist anywhere beyond the confines of their empty prison that Noctis had vowed to bind himself within all for the sake of _this_ not happening. So, with one last effort, Noctis lunged towards the other, summoning the royal arms at his side, yet as Noct felt his body swing in the momentum of his jump, followed by the brief weightlessness of being air born, he could see the chancellor's taunting smirk.

And suddenly the prison in which they had continuously fought, died, and finally coexisted with each other for the past centuries shattered in a sudden burst of light. It happened quickly as the mist faded and the world around them became colorful again. Only small wisps of the fabric of their world, slowly disintegrating in the air, remained yet even that dispersed like stardust as the slightest breeze of reality brushed it. It was no longer just Izunia and a vast expanse of nothingness. There was a sky. There were clouds, the green of the forest below, the smell of pine, and the sheer power of magic that resonated from the Earth rather than Noct's own confines. _This is real._

There was only a brief second of momentary elation that bubbled inside Noctis at the thought that he was alive again. He was actually breathing in real air with the presence of living things beside the very man who had destroyed his life and forced his death. Yet Izunia was still smiling back at Noct as the two, now falling mid air, began to plummet. Noctis' body automatically flipped in the air once before he teleported himself safely to the ground. The feeling of soil comforting had his mind not been preoccupied. Instead, Noct was staring wordlessly at the sky above in fear. His eyes searching in vain.

He had failed for Ardyn Izunia now trekked the world of the living.

The world did not change. The sun didn't collapse into sulfur nor did the sky become shrouded in eternal night. No demons roamed the surface, and Eos seemed peacefully blissful to Noct's mistake. Yet the silence was just as foreboding and frighteningly more ominous. Ardyn Izunia did not crash upon the living as a meteor of destruction. Instead, he came silent and creeping like a tumor, biding its time and slowly sucking the host dry.

And it was all Noct's fault.

Noctis stared sightlessly at the sky for another second longer, absorbing as much color and life as he could, before closing his eyes. The world became silent again as his sight was consumed by shadows. Izunia and Noct were bound together through webbing of entangled fate that wound around their souls in the manifestation of string. Thus it took little effort for Noct to tug upon the thread which glowed luminous behind his closed eyelids, and Izunia's presence, tied to Noct's own, became a beacon against the light of the world. The chancellor's soul being obscured with the demons he had devoured and piteously large and prominent because of it.

He had to reach the other quickly. Neither of them should be alive, and Nocis loathed the idea of Izunia breaking free upon the innocent.

Izunia was close, and so, ignoring the almost childlike exuberance he felt at the rush of being alive, Noctis swung his ultima blade in a seamless arc before teleporting to Izunia's soul. Had Noct paused to absorb the presence of the living, hesitating to even remember how the souls of the living were significantly smaller, duller to the powerful air of Izunia and his own ancient souls, he perhaps would have realized the subtle differences in the dancing lights of the living. Instead, the king was focused on his target alone as the world around him rushed in a haze of blue. Colors flew by as his body dispersed before reforming.

Once again, had Noctis paused to question why Izunia had come here of all places, perhaps he would not have been as shocked to see the world around him reform into a city of towering glass buildings. He would not have been so surprised to find himself suddenly teleported to the regal skyline of Insomnia midday with her glorious architecture. Yet none of that could have stopped his sudden recoil in shock upon finding himself staring down upon the open expanse of the Crown City's pavilion where Ardyn Izunia stood before a crowd of crown soldiers with his arms raised in a mocking embrace. The man's sinister smile still permanently etched upon his face even as the soldiers advanced, threatening to lope off with his head.

But Noctis was no longer watching his prisoner as the said man continued to stand proudly against the deadly glint of crown guard steel poised towards his throat. Because standing before Izunia, surrounded by crown guards and almost hidden completely by their protective stances, was King Regis. Noctis felt his lungs choke in air, his heart beating, and his legs shaking against the sudden weight of his body now burdened by what he saw. His own father now standing before him as if death had never touched him.

Noctis did not feel many emotions after death. His life of eternity on the astral planes tarnished his memories of such frivolous matters, and when such occasion arose, he tried his best to smuggle down the rise of his inner psyche that refused to rot away as the rest of his body had. Yet the sight of Regis seemed to have shocked Noct's heart into a concoction of grief and jubilation. Suddenly nothing mattered to Noct. Not even his duty as the true king. Instead, he only watched his father as if the other would disperse into a haze of illusions if he blinked.

But Noctis was pushed from his stupor as the air became heavy again. The weight of magic condensing into the air forcing Noct to act as he swung his sword and watched the object sail directly into the ground just before King Regis' feet. The said king having little time to react before Noctis stood before him and the surrounding guards turned around in shock.

On the astral planes they were immortal, in fact, it was their sin. But here, where life truly existed, they were humans again. Noctis did not flinch, barely even noticed the feeling of cold metal cutting skin and wedging itself firmly into the thick of his thigh until there was a startled gasp from someone behind him, and a blundering laugh from Izunia ahead. Yet Noctis had little time to react as Izunia's armiger arsenal clashed with his own mere seconds after his sudden teleportation and Noct struggled to push back the other's magic.

Their weapons remained locked, entangled with each other as Izunia pushed back with equal force, yet Noct was able to twist his body and, using his shoulder, shoved the chancellor backwards. Izunia then slid back a few feet before he lurched forwards and struck towards Noct's head in a large swinging motion that Noct only had seconds to block. The heavy Axe of the Conqueror bearing heavily against Noct's own blade as he struggled to maintain his stance. But Noctis didn't dare dodge the attack as his eyes shifted behind him to see Regis still standing there in shock with Clarus and the other surrounding crown guards by his side. The said guards having pushed the king back away from the ensuing battle. Though brief, the distraction was enough as Izunia, dispersing the axe, called forth the lightweight Sword of the Wise before slashing at Noct with greater speed. Noctis' armiger was quick to defend him and the two leaped away from the fray to better maintain their surroundings. Izunia teleporting back a couple of meters as Noct slid to the side, away from the growing crowd of tense soldiers.

The two continued to stare at each other, though Izunia was actually smirking at Noct with a lecherous taunt before the former straightened and eased the tension from his shoulders. The glowing red armingers dispersing in sparks of frenzied magic, yet Noct continued to stare at the other wearily before reluctantly calling away his own.

"It's been such a long time since the last apocalypse. I've truly missed it," Izunia drawled out, now completely relaxed as he leaned his head to the side languidly. Noctis' tense posture did not cease as he watched the other, his hand twitching in anticipation. But Izunia seemed comfortable where he stood as he only began clapping his hands in short celebration. "How long it has been!"

"Who are you?" a voice called out though Noctis, without turning around, recognized it as Clarus. Izunia turned to the other with his piercing gaze before tilting his hat further down upon his head and slowly smiling. "Mere travelers I reassure you."

"You both bear the mark of Lucis royalty," Clarus continued with his voice taut. "I won't ask again." But Noctis ignored Clarus as he instead glared at Izunia. The man still remaining oddly content with their situation. "Stop this madness at once. We are returning," Noctis commanded as the chancellor began to whistle hollowed out tunes in whimsical boredom. "Izunia!" Noctis snarled when the other continued to ignore him. "Disperse your illusions!" This time, Izunia laughed.

The man finally turned to look at Noctis with jovial eyes as the two stared each other down. "You think I created these illusions? I can reassure you this is real. Has the astral plane destroyed your mentality that you can not recognize fact from fiction?" he taunted. Noctis felt his blade form between his fingers as he took a daunting step forward. "Enough of your tricks. We are leaving." Izunia's smile only widened. "Fine," he relented. "Perhaps I took one trick too many, but I reassure you, this is not of my doing. Why would I come to a time period of such little amusement all for the sake of _illusions_." He twisted the word as he spoke into a mockery of syllables as Noct's eyes roamed for some faulty visage, some detail that he could extract from the other to prove it was just another trick of the mind that the other was notorious for, yet Izunia knew Insomnia just as well as Noctis did, and so, trick or not, the metropolis was just as realistic as his dreams.

"Come now," Izunia continued. "Do you not trust me?"

No. Noctis did not, yet there were truths to his words as the world they were now in was definitely real. The lights of other living souls attested to this and no matter how powerful Izunia is, he could not reflect such powerful magic so easily. But that left only one option. Noctis turned around, though still keeping mindful of Izunia's presence, before staring deeply into the eyes of King Regis who peered back with interest and curiosity. After closer inspection Noct could see the crow feet around his father's eyes had shrunk. The sags of his throat and the folds of his forehead had all but disappeared as if time had reversed.

"You see now?" Izunia called out as the slow realization dawned upon Noctis. They had been transported to the past.

Yet Noctis felt no shock. It was as if his subconscious already knew of this fact and only now did Ardyn confirm it. He stared a moment longer at his father. No. The king. Noctis had yet to exist in this time, and the king had yet to become more than such. Yet his eyes were still kind, warm and gentle around the edges where the crinkles of his mouth seemed to permanently form into soft laughter. Noctis looked away.

"Cease your prattling and address your king!" Clarus shouted, seeming finally fed up with their nonsense, yet there was a dangerous flash of anger in Izunia's eyes before he hid it behind a sarcastic smile. Only Noctis' years with the other man allowing him to identify it. But Regis seemed to acknowledge it too as the king drew away from the protective flock of soldiers, despite their still weary stances, and walked towards Noctis and Izunia. Noctis immediately felt his fingers flash, in a muscle spasm, to draw out his weapons and slay Izunia before Regis could be within the said man's line of sight. Yet he withdrew his instincts and only watched wearily as the king continued towards them. Finally, much to Noct's relief, Regis stopped a few meters from Noctis before addressing the two.

"I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. Perhaps we can start over," the king said calmly with an air of authority though his voice remained as kind as Noct remembered it to be. Izunia laughed before taking a step forward. No sooner did the heel of his boot touch the ground did Noctis' armingers blaze to life, crackling with the force of his magic and encircling around him protectively in some ecliptic dance. The soldiers, already tense, aimed their weapons towards Noct in a matter of seconds as the air became saturated and dense with magic, yet the guards stopped as Noct did not move or even raise an arm in a threatening gesture. Izunia, however, remained perfectly still, practically lounging in amusement at their situation.

"King Regis," Noctis addressed without looking at the said man. Instead, Noct's eyes remained locked on Izunia's smiling face though he could feel the king's eyes turn towards him in surprise. "This man is not one you should associate yourself with. You do not yet know what he is capable of."

A look of further surprise flitted across the king's face before he turned once again to Izunia, seeming trying to find what unique power the other possessed. Thankfully, he appeared to trust Noct as his eyes narrowed. Izunia only laughed. "You trust him already when you have yet to discover what _he_ has done? Truly, when you compare our sins side by side, can you believe that he is the lesser evil?" Ardyn asked.

Before Regis could respond, Izunia stepped back. The man then pulled his fedora further down before bowing his head graciously with an exaggerated sweep of his arm. "Oh. What a shame. It seems I have a full schedule. Perhaps another time _your highness_ ," he said before disappearing in a flash of glowing red. Noctis immediately leaped forward intending to warp after the other before he could go far, yet the moment Noct's left leg touched the ground in his stride, his entire side lit with unbearable pain. An agonizing burn flared from his thigh to his chest and trailed across his leg. Only then did Noctis notice the scarlet blood, dark and sticky, against the pale of his skin. The oozing sustenance clinging to his clothes and staining the ground beneath him red. It took him a moment to remember how he had sustained the injury through the tangle of events, but even that was a hazy memory as Noct found his conscious slipping and the colorful world of the living fading to black.

 **AN- So this is sort of an AU with the idea that Noctis is tasked with protecting the world for eternity by, essentially, being a prison guard for Izunia in the after life. Or something of that matter. Hopefully I explained it well enough in the chapter, but if there's any confusions, just ask. This story is mostly for my own enjoyment because I have lately been having troubles with writer's block. In other words, this is an exercise to get me back into the flow of writing, and to get my creative juices running again. Also, because I have many other stories I need to finish, this one will not be as long as I would prefer it to be. It will only be a few chapters with this chapter being, by far, the longest.**

 **Thank you for reading, and reviews are always welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

Noctis did not sleep much in the astral plane. There was no need for food, sleep, or any other physical dependence that came with living. Instead there was silence, a lonesome abyss, and Izunia standing before him in the same eerie stillness for the past century. This was the first time Noctis slept since the brief slumber of his death, yet unlike then, he was not surrounded by the screams of nightmares or the prying hands of demons trying to devour the light of his soul. Instead, there was the smell of flowers. He could feel warmth, light, the grass beneath him and the occasional tickle of flower petals against his cheek.

Noctis recognized this scent. He recognized the air, sweet and light, as well as the feeling of warmth that emanated around him. Slowly, Noctis opened his eyes and found himself staring at the blue eyes of Luna. She smiled sweetly at him though her attention was focused on a laurel of sylleblossoms in her hand which she wrapped and twisted into an intricate crown of blue. The tiny white petals becoming a stark contrast against the more pronounced cobalt and dark green.

He watched her for a moment longer as she continued to weave the stems together. Her fingers only stopping momentarily to thread through Noctis' hair as he became fixated on her face. It had been a long time since the two had seen each other, in dreams or otherwise, so Noctis took the moment to re-memorize every contour of her smile before relaxing against her lap. "I'm sorry," he finally said breaking the peaceful silence with a heavy tone of sadness. She only laughed quietly, almost reprimanding him for his guilt. "Whatever for?" she asked though Noct's heart only clenched at her words. "For making you wait," he responded after a pause though she only continued to smile at him softly. There was a quiet laugh, more like the rustling of wind against the grass than an actual sound before Noct felt warm hands close the lids of his eyes. His true words unspoken through their touch. There was the brush of warmth on his forehead before she whispered back, "If that is all, then you have nothing to apologize for."

Noctis awoke to the harsh sunlight streaming through the open windows of the room. The curtains drawn back as Noctis stared at the shadows of passing birds in the reflection on the floor. His mind still remembering Luna's touch as he fought to remember every last detail.

Habitually, Noctis felt for the pain of his thigh, testing his legs, before getting up. His faster healing rate aiding in the almost painless rise. He then tested his muscles, mentally searching for some faults as his fingers grazed against the bandage wrapped neatly against his chest. It was only when he paused in his analysis that he could smell the sweet, faint scent of a flower drifting towards the bedside. Turning his head, Noctis saw a bright blue sylleblossom on the nightstand held only by a delicate, pale gray vase. He walked towards it, grazing its petals with his fingers as if afraid to break it.

And that was how King Regis found him.

The king entered the room with a quiet knock before entering with Clarus trailing behind. Noctis did not look up, choosing instead only to listen to their approaching footsteps. The two did not walk far, trying to give Noct privacy before Regis spoke. "I am glad to see you are awake."

Noct did not respond and only ignored their presence. The flower seeming to bloom under his unwavering gaze. Regis did not seem offended, despite Clarus' scoff of annoyance, as the king only smiled at Noctis' wondering face. "A florist from Tenebrae gave them to us. It is a beautiful flower isn't it?" Noct's gaze did not falter though his hand dropped to his side. Then there was only silence before Noctis turned to the two. His stare piercing their own with eyes that had seen the world and beyond. It was eyes haggard by sadness and grief, weighted with age that caused Regis' own to soften with sympathy.

"Tell me who you are," Regis asked kindly while sitting down and offering the opposite chair to Noct. Clarus remained standing behind his king with eyes still weary and shoulders tense. Noctis paused in hesitation before sitting down himself and leaning back. The feeling of soft down against his back suddenly unfamiliar from his long forgotten past.

"I am Noctis Lucis Caelum."

Neither men looked surprise. The glowing armigers attested to that, yet there was a sudden change in mood as the room became tense. The confirmation of his bloodline seeming to aggravate their fears. "Where have you come from? There are no extended Lucis heirs that I know of," spoke Regis first. At least not ones that could control the royal weapons of old. Noctis felt the accusation more so from Clarus than Regis as the king's shield dared to call out any lie. "I came from the astral planes with Izunia."

"The man from before?"

"Yes."

"What of these astral planes?"

"I hale from a different time."

"Then you are my ancestor," Regis said in awe as he too relaxed into the cushioned chair, staring at Noct in some new found reverence. However, Clarus was quick to step forward with nothing but scorn. "You lie. There is no one of the name Noctis in the ancient archives." His tone was angry, resilient and cautious all at once as, despite his words, he could not deny what he had seen. The glowing armigers, the royal arms, were all real and impossible to conjure through mere child's play. Yet his words also spoke truth.

"Is this why my room is surrounded by guards?" Noctis asked softly as he watched the two before him. He could feel the souls standing in the hallway, their magic tense in preparation, just as he could feel the roaming eyes of the guards that were stationed at his window and would pass on fleeting occasions. "Is this also why you stabbed me?" he continued when neither answered, yet this evoked anger from Clarus. "You endangered the king with that stunt!" he retorted though Regis was quick to raise his hand in warning, placating the other into silence. "I apologize for that," Regis spoke softly as his eyes glanced towards Noct's side. "He meant well, and your sudden appearance surprised us both. You must excuse us for believing you were the enemy." Noctis understood, yet his heart ached for Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto all the same with the knowledge that they would have intervened in a similar manner.

The silence resumed. Noctis staring down at the intricate patterns on the ground and tracing it mentally with his mind. The familiar tiles shaping into the same helix drawn over and over again in repetition from the haze of his childhood. "Why are you and Izunia here?"

Noctis looked up, gazing into King Regis' eyes as the man looked back. Their eyes locked on briefly before Noctis turned his face towards the light of the window, feeling the warmth of sunlight on his skin and watching the gentle swirls of dust that stirred as they breathed. "It is my duty to maintain the astral plane at which we reside. Yet Izunia broke through my barriers and brought us here. I can only speculate he wished to kill you and stop the Lucis bloodline from its source." There was a heavy pause as Regis' seemed to age further with the knowledge. Finally, his voice cut through the silence. "Is there some dark future ahead?" he asked. Noctis did not look at the other.

Met with silence, Regis could only sigh before getting up. "It was nice meeting you Noctis Lucis Caelum. Perhaps another time." The king than sauntered towards the door, took one last glance at Noct's direction, and then paused. "I suggest you hide that ring before anyone gets suspicious," he added before exiting the room with Clarus behind. Indeed, Noctis thought deeply as he stared at the ring still nestled on his finger. Even here the infernal thing had followed him. Yet, even then, Noctis could hear their voices echo softly through the empty halls.

"The boy must be lying."

"Perhaps his name had been erased from history. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"But if his name is not in the archives, perhaps he had been erased for a reason, some sin he must atone for."

"You are thinking of what Izunia said."

"One is a lunatic, the other is delusional. The real question now is who do you trust more?"

But there was no response back. Their voices drifting softly away into the dark abyss of Noct's world. It seemed being alive again had changed nothing. There was still the bitter loneliness in Noct's heart and the weight of loss that crushed solemnly against his shoulders.

 **AN- Thanks to anyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! Also thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the next installment.**


	3. Chapter 3

Noctis' days trapped in Insomnia was a repetition of sleep and healing as a nurse would enter on occasion to check his bandages. Though she could do little and only seemed mesmerized by the rapid pace at which Noct healed, he looked forward to her visits all the same when there was still a sign of human existence beyond the wandering souls that colored Noct's vision. Yet when he asked if he was allowed to leave, to chase after Izunia, the women would merely bow her head apologetically and scurry out of the room in silence. Noctis understood he was being kept prisoner, yet he could not bide his time forever. While Izunia had not moved much from his position half way across the world, Noct still felt nervous being far from the other as the said man was left to his own devices.

Yet Noct could not deny the pleasure of sleep either as his body craved the common physical needs of mortals that Noct had forgotten existed back on the astral plane. His body immediately falling back into the circadian rhythm of his youth.

But today was different as Noct awoke to another presence. Before he could pause to see the person's soul, Noct had already, automatically, flung his body off the bed and charged the intruder with sword in hand. Noctis immediately stopped upon seeing King Regis sitting calmly in the same chair as before. The man continuing to peacefully sip tea even with a sword mere centimeters from the jugular of his throat.

"Good morning," Regis spoke softly as Noct retracted his weapon and took a few steps back. "I heard you wish to leave."

Noctis frowned. "Is that a no?"

The man sighed heavily, his body sagging inward despite his regal visage and Noct noted how the king seemed to already trust him. Yet Noct worried as he watched his father already seeming to collapse from age despite being years in the past. "Tell me why you must go and perhaps I will consider," the king said with a soft smile. Noct's frown deepened. He then looked away, but Regis was having none of it. The king, instead, got up. His sudden looming presence forcing Noct to look at the other. "I understand it is not my place to question my ancestors, but you have yet to fully heal."

"My wounds have closed. There is nothing left to heal."

Regis only smiled. "Indulge me a little longer. Its not everyday I get to speak with one of my past forefathers."

Noctis stared for a moment before collapsing against the chair in a indignant manner. "Why do you trust me?" Noct accused. "I have no name, no credibility." Yet the king's response was to only lean further back against the head rest and close his eyes to the warmth of the morning dawn. "Tell me," he began, "who pointed the royal arms at my throat, and who got injured protecting me from them?"

Noctis paused. "And what if it was all a ruse?"

"Then it was a very well played out ruse, and you should consider me truly duped," the king said good naturedly.

"He knows I am here," Noctis spoke out as Regis slowly opened his eyes to watch the other. "Izunia?"

"Yes. I can sense his presence just as he can sense mine."

"Then what is the problem?"

Noctis turned to the other in surprise. "What?"

"It seems Izunia is intent on killing me. If you simply wait, he will come, and you will be here ready for his advance."

Noct blinked once, then twice. "I don't-"

"Then it's agreed!" Regis said joyfully with sudden exuberance. "You must stay until Izunia's threat has passed. I will enjoy getting to further know your acquaintance." The king was all smiles now with only a slight tilt of his head in acknowledgment of Noct's stupefied face before exiting the room as brusquely as he had appeared.

The next day Noctis was escorted by a Kingsglaive member to meet the king in his private office. The said Kingsglaive member, having introduced himself as Nyx, leading the way through the halls and the familiar twists and turns of the building. Noctis remained slightly behind the other, keeping some mind of distance, as he watched the rooms fade into memories.

The two had made it to the main sector of the building before Noctis stopped suddenly and stared at the open expanse below from his own viewpoint on the second floor. Nyx stopped as well before turning to the other and crossing his arms behind his back in a resting position. "Is something wrong your highness?" he asked though the word highness seemed foreign on his tongue when addressed to one such as Noctis himself. Noctis paused, hesitating to ask, yet found his curiosity burning too brightly to be ignored. "Who is that?" he asked while gesturing with a tilt of his head towards a man speaking to a group of Kingsglaive soldiers. The said group then being dismissed and dispersing with silent accuracy.

Nyx walked towards the edge of the stairwell to get a better look before his soul flickered in confusion though his face indicated no change. There was a mere millisecond pause as the glaive member paused to consider the consequences of his actions, briefly pondering over the implications before stating, "That's Drautos. He is captain of the Kingsglaive." Noctis did not respond. Instead he only inspected the man further as the said captain looked up, having noticed their presence, and staring straight back at Noct's unwavering gaze. Nyx nodded his head in acknowledgment towards his old mentor before asking Noctis what was wrong.

"Nothing," Noctis said calmly before breaking eye contact with Drautos and brusquely walking away. Nyx let out a slight sigh of frustration before catching up and quickly leading the way once again. Yet Noctis could not shake off the suspicious bubbling of shadows that pooled from Drautos' soul. The Noctis of the past, foolish and naïve, knew Drautos as a kind man that had guarded the king with vigilant loyalty, yet the man that stood before him now, surely not the Drautos he had known, had no such soul. The grief, the anger, and the black shadows of ominous, demonic power that swallowed his soul entirely had blurred Noct's sight, and twisted the grizzled man's face to a foreign, unrecognizable mask of destruction.

The pitiful soul beneath more reminiscent to Izunia's tortured immortal soul than that of a human.

Regis was at his desk writing loops and swirls of ink on the page as Noct entered. Nyx merely bowing to the two before sneaking out of the room in utter silence. Regis continued undisturbed from his work as Noct stood at the front door awkwardly. "Please, sit down," Regis then spoke without looking up. His pen still making soft scratches against the parchment and Noctis watched enchanted at the speed at which his father wrote. Noct himself being far more comfortable with the grip of a sword rather than the pen's might in a time where one was clearly favored over the other.

"You wished to speak with me?" Noctis asked though the formality felt arduous on his tongue. "Yes," Regis said as he placed his pen down having been content with the work he had finished. He then looked to Noct with his full attention, and a part of Noct wished he wouldn't in case the king found some obscure truths in his eyes, some hidden secret of the future to come.

"There is no written history of your existence. I want to change that," Regis began as he pulled out a new sheet of paper. Noctis immediately shook his head. "My past is best forgotten."

"Nonsense," the king spoke confidently with pen already in hand and the tell tale sign of writing already forming on the sheet. "Though I do wonder why records of your existence are no longer available." A hint in his tone urging the other. Noctis decided to amuse him. "That is because there was no time to write during my reign," Noctis lamented sadly. Though he did feel guilt for leading the other on despite his words being the truth, mostly. "You must have lived in a time of war," Regis sympathized with an equal tone of solemn despair. The tone of a king towards another king.

It felt strange to speak with his father as if he was such. The other seeming to automatically assume he was a fellow king because he bore the royal armigers, the sign of a Lucis king, despite Noctis never officially being given the title. If anything, he was a false king in a pawn's garbs.

Noctis, however, thought deeply, pondering over the impact of his words before reluctantly admitting no harm in his actions. So he continued. "I never had an official coronation. My time as king began and ended with war as Insomnia became a battle ground."

There was the sound of the pen scratching on paper though Regis stopped briefly at Noct's words. "Which country were we at war with?" he asked and Noctis couldn't help but find some peace at the other's usage of "we" as if any battle Noctis fought was automatically his own. "That does not matter now," Noctis insisted. "All that matters now is that I find Izunia before he brings hell upon Eos again. Which is why I ask that you relinquish your guards and let me pass." Noctis had now leaned halfway on the desk with his eyes staring stoically back at the king's.

Regis stared back with equal intensity for a moment before returning to his writing. "So why is Izunia your priority?"

Noct internally groaned in frustration, but said nothing in response.

Regis paused for a moment, seeming to take in his desperation, before leaning back in his chair. "I now understand what it must take for one to get eyes like yours."

Noctis startled though his posture and expression did not change. The king only ignored his silence and continued writing. The sound of pen scratching upon parchment filling the room as Noctis closed his eyes and reminisced upon the time he once existed, infinitely loved. Slowly, the urge to spill his secrets and ask his father for guidance and trust mulled its way into Noct's mind before he suppressed it with an internal struggle. He was alive again by _accident_. He had just let _Ardyn Izunia_ out into the world. And the last thing he needed was more of his own incompetence changing the future.

It was only when the sky burned into twilight and the hues of Eos merged into the shadows did Regis speak again. "You must have haled from a time before Ardyn Lucis Caelum as he was the last king to be recorded. War had destroyed much of what became before that." Noctis did not correct the other, yet his heart bled all the same.

 **AN- So as I've said before, this fanfic is mostly to get me back into the swing of things, and hopefully get me interested in my old fics again. But because of this, I never intended for this fic to be so long (originally it was supposed to be a one-shot). That being said, the next chapter would skip through a lot of development that I would normally hope to go over. I was contemplating having other details like Noct getting to know Nyx and Drautos further, trying to appease to Clarus, exploring the districts he wasn't allowed to as a child, discussing the burden of the ring, and, most importantly, more bonding with his father. But because I am so pressed for time, I will sadly have to shorten the script. Regardless, I feel invigorated by everyone's kind words, and I just wanted to say I appreciate it so much.**


	4. Chapter 4

Ardyn didn't come with soldiers, daemons, or magitek. No. The chancellor came alone. A lone man walking towards the palace grounds with hat turned low against his brow and smirk fully fledged upwards in eternal flight. His soul flickered, dark and ominous, against Noct's own weary light, yet there was something terribly different with the former's soul. Something Noct couldn't decipher, yet knew immediately something had changed from their millenniums trapped.

The air buzzed with magic immediately. The intensity of their condensed power beckoning King Regis' own armigers which sequentially activated the kingsglaives' magic despite Noct warning the other not to get involved.

"Noctis!" Izunia greeted as if Noct were a good friend, his arms still raised so his black cloak swept beneath him as he walked. "Surely you must enjoy this moment while you still can." Noct's eyes only narrowed in response though he could feel Regis' presence flare by his side.

"Why have you come here?" Regis asked though his tone was vigilant.

Izunia stopped with a mock face of hurt. His right hand sweeping dramatically over his heart, feigning a wound before his smile returned. "Ah. Your words wound me your highness. I am merely here to see old friends again." His eyes then turned to Noctis. "Especially ones so close to Noct." There was a foreboding tone in the way he said it. His eyes almost darkening to the pitch black of his inner daemons, yet Noct refused to show anger or the beginning of the brittle emotions that surfaced.

"Whatever feud you have with my ancestor-"

"Ancestor?!" Ardyn laughed out causing all the guards to tense and ready their weapons. Clarus especially. "Did he let you believe that?" There was a hushed silence as Noct could feel Clarus' soul practically burn with anger towards him. The beginning of a sense of betrayal, yet Regis' own soul did not flare. Instead, it flickered in surprise, confusion, and doubt.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Regis said slowly as Noct could feel the weight of the world begin to collapse against him, and the signs of being alive had never felt so brutal.

Ardyn only smiled. "He is not your ancestor." His words were slow, almost gentle. "I, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, was the first chosen king." There was a grand pause as Noct could feel all the present souls flicker in shock. But worse, he could feel the creeping of doubt become weariness aimed towards him from his own father. That alone was a pain far worse than anything else.

He could practically see the clock turning. The wheels of cognitive thought clicking slowly and pulsing back to life. Who to trust? Who was lying less?

Noctis did nothing as he felt Nyx's shakram buzz to life. The blade appearing before him now pressed against the jugular of his throat waiting for a command. Noctis refused to move, refused to believe that he was guilty even though his unspoken lies had now come to fruition. Yes, he was fine with death. He expected it for this was not his time. All that mattered was that Ardyn Izunia returned to the embrace of death with him, yet it seemed Izunia was far too amused by the outcome. Perhaps he was looking for some reaction. Perhaps he wanted to twist the dimensions of time even further. Perhaps he suddenly felt merciful. Either way, Noctis did not expect the other's next words.

"I wouldn't be so quick to kill him. Though I admit I am not opposed to the idea of you murdering your own son, King Regis."

There was a long pause, so drawn out that even Eos' flowing magic seemed to freeze.

"King Regis does not have a son," Clarus spoke first though his voice lacked the ferocity it usually had as Regis only stared blankly in shock at the chancellor's still smiling face.

Izunia's expression did not change. Clearly he was enjoying this. "We have already established Noctis and I are from different time periods. What is so wrong with admitting that one is from the past and the other is from the future?"

The air was still. Only Noct's heart beating furiously against his chest as even the light of the souls seemed to dim against the backdrop of fear that paraded in Noct's consciousness. Nyx's blade grew slack though the other had yet to remove the weapons from Noct's vicinity, and worse so, Regis had turned to Noct for confirmation. The king's eyes roaming Noct's own as if searching for some resemblance, for some recognition for a son he had yet to have.

Noctis looked away from his father's gaze, yet, as Nyx released Noct from his hold, Regis stepped forward. He must have seen something, some familiarity in his movements as the king suddenly grabbed his shoulder in awe. The movement, in such a familiar gesture, shocking Noctis to look up at his father's eyes, and all he saw was love and warmth in the other's. "My son …" Regis echoed softly in reverence, almost a choking sob.

Izunia then laughed. The man's lips morphing wider, deeper, more haunting. "Look upon him now because you'll never again see him like this. You'll never again get to see what he becomes. You'll never be able to watch him grow, to mature, and you will never get to see the hell we created togeth-"

There was a flurry of blue and red. The electrifying intensity and heated buzz of the air as it thickened and crackled with magic. Noct had warped towards the other and they were now locked with armingers pulsing against each other. Izunia only warped away with a graceful side step as Noct stood and watched the other with weary eyes. Their armingers still alighted for battle.

"Enough, Izunia. You've had your fun. It's time to go back."

But Izunia did not back down. "I think we have yet to establish something very important here," he instead sighed out as if reprimanding a child. The chancellor now turning around while walking in lazy circles. Noctis said nothing more so out of confusion as the other continued. "You can only imagine my surprise when the planes cracked, and when I had realized what had happened, you could only imagine my excitement. I had to see who it was that broke the planes. Was it Lunafreya? Was it that traitorous dog you always kept with you? Or all three of the bloody fiends? Yet I come to find him. Just think of it. That moment of pure glee upon realizing it was _him_."

"You were the one to break the planes. Do not pin this on another," Noctis berated as he stepped towards the other fully prepared to lock them back into their eternal prison.

"I could ask the same of you. I did not destroy the planes, loathe as I am to admit it. Haven't you discovered it yet?"

There was a pause for dramatic effect as Izunia turned around again to look directly at Noctis.

"It was you."

Noctis frowned. "You think I would intentionally break a barrier I had made?" The ludicrous notion alone was laughable.

"By yourself, no. With his help …" Ardyn said before turning to Regis. "Yes."

Noctis stepped forward. "Enough of these games-" but Izunia only raised his hands. "Are you really going to make me spell it out for you? That barrier fluctuates with your emotions. We've seen it a thousand times, and yet you refuse to believe your emotions are fragile enough to create this." He had then swept his arms outward to replicate _this_. Noctis was ready to step forward and kill the other, yet the idea nagged at him. It was true that they had seen Noct's sometimes sudden urge of loss and regret that had plagued him leading to the planes distortion. Yet it was not possible. There was no way he would allow _this_ to happen. Yet, at the time, his fear, insuppressible, had been so persistent at the time that Noct had no doubt once the first remnants of the plane had shattered, the others quickly followed in succession. But how had it started?

Noctis turned to look at his father who still watched them interact with worry. As if the sudden realization that Noctis is his son had kicked in some latent emotions of protectiveness the king of the future was known for. Was it possible? Was Noct's own desire to see his loved ones, to return to a time where he was safe, capable of allowing all of _this_ to happen? Noctis blinked slowly. So this is what Izunia meant.

Yet Izunia did not give him time to ponder over this revelation. Rather, the man had just begun.

"I've brought a friend with me," Izunia called out to the crowd before removing his hat and bowing to a new approaching figure that appeared suddenly against the limelight. The man appearing similar in build with the same black fedora and fringed hair. The same darkened eyes, the same daemon filled soul with the same lazy patterned step that Noctis had memorized in his night terrors. "Meet the Chancellor of Niflheim, Ardyn Izunia."


	5. Chapter 5

Noctis felt his heart plummet as the dull pulses ebbed through his fingertips and stretched along every fiber and nerve of his being. This was wrong, so grotesquely and savagely _wrong_. "You must understand, Noctis," Izunia began in a patronizing tone. "It was only natural that I would gravitate towards myself in all this mess you created. You can not blame me for my utterly _human_ actions." The word human was stressed out in emphasis as Noct's fists clenched angrily. Human was the last word to describe the chancellor. Izunia only smiled, opening his mouth to respond further only for Noctis' armigers to unfurl in blinding hues of crystalline azure. The structures, blazing weapons of past kings' might, burning in a wreath of glory before Noct's body, now weightless from the crystal's power, charged forward towards Izunia's now raised hand.

Izunia only blocked the attack. The two clashing in a stalemate as Izunia's body took the heavy blow before the chancellor swung his blade outward knocking Noct's own blade from his hand. The said sword only disintegrating into soft hues before he summoned the Trident of the Oracle mere milliseconds after. The familiar weight of the weapon seamlessly gliding through the air as he stabbed forward leaving ghosts of his own mirage in a quick succession the weapon was known for. But Izunia only leaped away as the tip of the trident barely grazed the edge of his coat.

Seeing this, Noct tried to swing his armiger's towards the chancellor, but the man only let out a single laugh before his own armigers once again blazed to life in a halo of red. Noctis only ignored this as he reached out in another attempt to stab the other. "Noctis! Look out!" A voice shouted over the sound of clashing metal and forming crystals. Noctis turned slightly just in time to see Ardyn, the Izunia of the past, rushing towards Nocts' unprotected back. In turn, Noctis tried to pry his armiger's free and block Ardyn's incoming attack, but Izunia had locked them together in an impossible mesh of radiating magic. Noctis tried to break the other's hold on his magic, feeling the prying demonic nature of his soul, but Izunia was too strong, and Noctis could only let go, risking the chancellor's wraith as he collided head on with Ardyn.

Noctis could then feel Izunia's own attack charging behind him, preparing to strike as he too tried to parry the oncoming attack. But before Noctis could turn to meet with the approaching threat, he felt solid warmth pressed against his back. His eyes then widened in momentary surprise as Noctis craned his neck, glimpsing away from Ardyn's lethal form, to see King Regis, his own father, blocking their ancestor's armigers with his own. The sheer force of the attack pushing Regis backwards. "As if I'd let you kill my son!" Regis shouted amidst the sudden raging tempest of Nocts' own heart. Noctis was about to shout at his father to move, to stay out of the battle and to simply stay safe, but he was stopped by the sudden swing of Clarus' great sword as the King's shield leaped forward to slice Izunia's body into two only for the said man to disappear in an empty shell of red and reappear a few feet away.

Frowning, Noctis turned back to Ardyn and swung his sword to dislodge the other resulting in he too following his future self in a myriad of scarlet. "So this is the chosen King," Ardyn spat out in amusement towards Izunia as soon as he reemerged. The two men like demonic twins appeared no different composed next to each other despite the millenniums that had passed and the thousands of deaths between them. "I must say I'm slightly disappointed. I was expecting someone much greater." His future self only responded by pulling his hat further down as if he had almost misplaced it in the ensuing battle. "Do not be fooled twice. He has potential, but this is not his time. The astrals can not help him here."

Yes. Noctis had noticed it before. The ties that had bonded him with the astrals were now mere threads weakened by his time in the astral planes as well as the sudden fluctuation in the past. This was a time where they still slumbered waiting for the chosen king to be born. They would not come to aid Noctis now.

But Noctis needed to end this now. Now while there was still time, so with another heave of his magic, Noctis charged forward. But he stopped. There was a sudden wall, a sudden demonic, raging wall of pure hatred stemming from the evil of human hearts that appeared before Noctis. It moved slowly against the tide of Etro's own magic, but it was massive. A far cry from the swarms Noctis had fought back home.

MTs. Thousands of them rolling up, falling from the sky, marching forward, and blackening the sky in hundreds of carriers of pure metal. The clouds rolling and clashing together at Izunia's beckoning and the sun now shrouded behind shadows, as if smothered by the presence of two Ardyns' souls and the weight of it all. These creations, which were years ahead of their time, now appeared against the horizon as if stepping strait out of the very future that beckoned Noct's nightmares. Too late. Noct had brought havoc to the world.

With a snarl, Noctis leaped forward and struck his blades towards Izunia's chest, but, once again, the ancestor was ready. "So impatient," he then teased. "You haven't even been born yet, and here you are. Trying to save the world." The voice was mocking, sarcastic, and it bubbled Noct's own steeping emotions. He needed to stop, before his anger got the best of him, but Izunia was right there and never had such an important moment presented itself until now. "Die, Ardyn Izunia," Noctis hissed as their blades clashed again in sparks of heat and anger.

Noctis was barely aware of the battles surrounding him. The Kingsglaive, soldiers, and the crownsguard alike fighting in a haze of blurring silver and the royal garbs of obsidian against the approaching MTs. But through the shock of it all, the noise and the aches of battle, Noctis clenched his teeth together and tightened his fists upon feeling a deep cut slice through his back. The Sword of the Tall, with its whirring noise and mechanical teeth cut through the tender flesh of Noct's shoulder pushed down towards his mid back before Noctis could hurtle himself away from the attack. Yet as he rolled against the ground, his wound pressing against the warmth of cement as he left a trail of pooling blood, Noctis could barely suppress the hiss of pain that pushed its way through his pursed lips. "Honestly," Ardyn spoke up now standing next to Izunia while willing away the now bloody sword into hues of crimson. "This is disappointingly too easy."

"Noctis!" A voice shouted out again, and Noct looked up in surprise to see his father slashing through the air once again while locking swords with Izunia. Ardyn then stepped forward to stop the King only to be pushed back by an angered Clarus. An annoyed look flashed upon his face as he swung an armiger towards Clarus only for the said man to hurl himself backwards. Regis then stepped forward and by the will of his hand alone, scattered the Kings' blades against the very foes which used them.

Izunia warped away, stepping backwards before rushing forward to face off against the King and his shield in another round as Noctis stepped forward to return Ardyn's wound in kind. The injury still burning, throbbing against his back making ignoring it a near impossible task. But still, Noctis slashed forward aiming for the other's neck only for Ardyn to lean backwards and avoid the attack with the grace of a coeurl and the dead, ghastly eyes of a wildsnake. "A little birdy told me you had a short temper but my my," Ardyn began while dodging Nocts' attacks. "One would think time would be a remedy for that."

Noctis frowned while stepping back slightly to gain a new perspective. Clearly this wasn't working. With a final huff, Noctis stepped forward. Ardyn twisted to the side expecting a full on attack only to startle backwards in shock when Nocis grabbed his scarf. Ardyn had a mere second to realize what was happening before there was a sudden explosion, blinding light, as Noctis' vision became lit with nothing but the glowing wraith of Ifrit's element of choice. Noctis was thrown back into the air and he lay there for a few seconds longer feeling the pain come slowly then suddenly with each pulse of his heartbeat as if his body was slowly returning to the pain of the living. First his fingers, than his hands, and finally everywhere as the pain spread lividly leaving severe burns along his pale skin and eating away his flesh into ash. Noctis then let out a pained wheeze before looking up to see Ardyn.

The man was frowning upon Noct's prone form with inky black, pit-less eyes staring from the depths of hell. He seemed unfazed by the attack as spirals of fire and smoke curled around him, burning at the tips of his clothes and dancing across his skin so that chunks of burnt flesh were visible among the inferno of Noct's attack. Even then, through the searing heat of one of Noct's most powerful elemancies, Ardyn continued.

Ardyn stepped towards Noct, stopping only mere inches from his form before raising his sword upward to the skies with muscles visible through the burns of his coat fully prepared to strike Noctis down. "Noctis move!" Regis shouted from above the still trickling flames, but Noctis could not see his father nor, he speculated, would the King be able to save him now. Not when he and Clarus were still struggling with Izunia. So, with screaming muscles in tow, Noctis urged his arms to move and found himself struggling to push his body upward. His legs feeling more like dead weight as they refused to obey his command. But it was too late. Noctis watched in horror as the blade came arcing towards him in a deadly descent.

But there was no pain. There was only nothingness as Noctis looked up and stared at the soft hues that embraced the flames and dispersed the cinders into the blackened sky. A protective shield appearing between them and deflecting the blade so that it scraped harmlessly against the light. Noctis could only stare as the golden light, ebbed with the flow of white spirits, came encircling him in warmth. The lights then touching Noct's cheek, then his shoulders, and the Chosen King only watched with fascination as the burns along his arms faded. The pain on his back all but disappeared and he regained full control over his body.

Noctis quickly stood up as he felt more than saw hands encircle his chest. "Luna," Noctis whispered softly as she rested her chin against his left shoulder and smiled back in earnest. "Sorry I'm late," she responded in which Noctis only let out a soft, broken laugh. She then let go before reaching forward and grabbing a snarling Ardyn in place. The said man, now more of a beast, thrashed in the hold of light where his demonic soul tried to cower away. Noctis watched her for a second longer. Their eyes meeting, and without words, Noctis raised his hand watching the Kings of Lucis come pouring out, weapons raised in one final score to settle.

After that Noctis could see nothing but the sudden blur of white light and crystal shards hazing in and out of his view. Yet as his sight returned, he could only open his eyes to see Luna's own body slowly disintegrating into the air as if the light were taking her, and, in every sense of the word, it was. With a quiet choked sigh, barely audible to even his own ears, Noctis reached out to touch Lunafreya's hand and only watched sadly as she gave him a tender smile before completely disappearing.

"Well well. What a lovely surprise."

Noctis turned his head quickly in anger. He had almost forgotten Izunia's presence. The said man now standing still against the backdrop of a now waning night. The darkened clouds beginning to retreat with the rising of a new sun peaking through the city's skyscrapers. "This had been a fun reunion," Ardyn continued even as the fighting began to stop. The MTs suddenly whirring in a commotion of hazardous lightening and explosives as their bodies deteriorated into blue light which seemed to eat away at their armor and inner mechanics. The very demon himself also having to begun to traverse dimensions as his body too began to fade. Now with his past dead, Izunia struggled to exist in the future, and his darkness and machines along with him.

"It seems our little randevú has come to an end," Ardyn said with a deep bow, one hand raised over his head in an exaggerated form while the other stood outward with a flick of his wrist. "But first." The man then looked up with black ooze of the starscourge running down his cheeks. "One final parting gift."

"Noctis look out!"

Noctis did not know who said it though a part of him knew it was his father along with a few other voices mingled in. But, regardless of the warning, there was nothing Noctis could have done. Nothing anyone could have done as Izunia was simply too fast, and before Noct knew it, the chancellor was already ripping his armigers out of Noct's body before Izunia's own body finally dissolved into the thick air, fading into the distant memories, and being released from the world of the living.

Noctis choked on his own blood, spitting out mouthfuls of red liquid that spattered against the ground as he hurled. He then spat out the remains and watched as the fuzz from the corner of his eyes expanded making his world churn and the ground spin beneath him. He could then feel his body sway dangerously forward until a large hand stopped his descent. "Noctis. Can you hear me?" Regis asked softly though he could not hide the fear in his voice, and nor could Noctis prevent himself from hearing it. Noctis then coughed once, twice, a third as more blood speckled his lips and ran down his chin. He could barely hear Clarus in the background calling for a healer when he turned to his father. "I'm fine, Dad."

Something seemed to break in the King upon hearing those words as his eyes squinted with pain and he clutched Noctis closer. "My son," he whispered softly before pulling himself, reluctantly, away from Noctis. His eyes were still full of sadness, brimming with unshed tears and it was only then that Noctis realized why. Whether from his own body returning to his time or the fact that he was dying again, Noctis did not know, but could only watch as his body, much as everything else from the future had, began to light the sky with the glow of pixelated lights that chipped away from his skin.

"Do not worry," Noctis whispered softly. His eyes turning tenderly to Regis as his father stared back in shock and fear. Noct then reached his hand out towards the other. His fingers brushed softly against his father's cheek though his form had already begun to disperse in a haze of soft blue. His hands fading away to dust and his body disintegrating into the warm air. Regis reached out to grab Noct's hand yet he was met with nothing. "Your son will have a bright future ahead," Noct continued. "And I hope to be able to see it."

 **AN- Sorry if it's anti-climatic. I always tend to suck at battle scenes. Thanks for reading! Only one more chapter to go.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Prince Noctis!" Nyx shouted through the hallways. The man's voice was clearly stressed at the mere thought of what King Regis would do to him upon finding out his son was missing. Again! But Noctis didn't seem to care about his predicament as the boy blatantly refused to come out. The prince had, once again, escaped his afternoon studies with Ignis for a walk through the royal gardens which had quickly become the largest, most terrifying game of hide and seek any of the royal staff have had the pleasantries of playing. Now the Kingsglaive were coerced into the game as well leaving Crowe, Libertus, and Nyx to search the interior along with any other remaining members who could be spared to search the outside.

Nyx muttered under his breath, "For someone who once saved Eos, he can be a troublemaker."

Noctis, meanwhile, was aggravated. His father had been ignoring him again in favor of work and duty, and, seemingly without thinking, Noctis found himself too angered to invest his time in studying which is why Ignis had been berating him only for Noctis to leap out the window. But now everyone was searching for him, and the last thing Noctis wanted to do was be caught and punished, or worse, forced to listen to another hour of Ignis' jabbering.

The thought of it alone brought shudders down his spine.

Noctis had only walked a few more steps down the vast, empty hallway before he heard the tell tale sign of guards. Their feet pattering against the ground almost silently though the clang of their armor and weapons were a bigger giveaway. Noctis then frowned in distaste before quickly turning around the bend and opening the closet door just across the corner.

Except the handle wouldn't budge.

Noctis' frown only deepened as he struggled but the knob was stuck, probably locked from the maids, and now Noctis was running on spare time. So, without even looking, Noctis ran towards the nearest door. One by one, he tried them all, but all of them were locked for safety precautions much to Noct's bad luck.

"There he is!" a voice shouted, echoing in the otherwise desolate hallway. Noctis looked up in fear as the guards came running towards him while shouting. "Your highness! Stop!" Noctis didn't look back as he suddenly bolted. He didn't know where he was running at this point, but anywhere would do. But the guards were grown men, twice as tall and twice as large as Noct. There was no way he could escape through speed alone.

Frankly, Noct was about ready to just stop and be done with all the riff raff when he spotted it. A maid, donned in the typical white apron with cleaning utensils in hand, opened one of the doors in the hallway, just exiting after having cleaned the room. Noctis sped up in a burst of energy and charged towards the woman. The said maid staring in shock at the yelling guards and the prince running towards her. She could only stop and stare in amazement at the utterly baffling sight before Noctis slid before her in a valiant effort to stop. She then backed up shrieking in surprise, but only watched as the prince then ran into the room and slammed the door shut before successfully locking it in her face.

"Ma'am! Open the door!" a guard shouted, but she could only shake her head. "I'm not allowed to have the keys to the room! Only the head maid has those, and she's the one who let me in here," the maid reasoned desperately though the panic was obvious in her tone. The guards then cursed solemnly under their breath before one pounded on the door. "Prince Noctis! Open this door at once!" But there was no response.

The guard frowned before turning to the nurse. "Well? Get the keys!" The women let out a startled cry before frantically gathering her remaining supplies, which had fallen to the floor in all the commotion, before scrambling down the hall in search for the head maid.

Noctis, meanwhile, collapsed against the ground as his knees buckled beneath him and the adrenaline began to wear off. His breath came out in ragged puffs, and his limbs still shook with exhaustion. Noctis, however, was not familiar with this room. It was utterly barren with only a few remaining furniture left, but now that Noctis though about it, he had been wondering aimlessly for quite some time in multiple hallways that he had not recognized. It was only when his body stopped shaking and his breaths had calmed to only small gasps did Noctis allow himself to look around the room.

It was an office. An old office at that. There was very little in the room with its pristine walls, a soft rug plated in the middle, with two chairs sitting across from a large, wooden, oak desk. The desk itself was beautifully carved with leaves and flora along with the occasional person dancing along the wooden sides. Noctis took a moment to glance around the room again before deciding to investigate the only thing worth his interest.

The desk was grand. Taller than himself though Noctis took pride in being allowed to see the top upon standing on his tip toes as well as climbing upon the chairs to search the desks every nook and cranny. But even the desk had little to offer of interest and Noctis quickly found himself getting bored with the room, yet he couldn't leave. Not with those guards waiting on the other side of the room with promises of punishment that Noct, while he would have to eventually face their wraith, wished to avoid for the time being.

So instead, Noctis squeezed himself underneath the desk after having pushed the chair away. His small seven year old body fitting easily into the pocket of space beneath the large desk. Noctis then leaned his head against the back of the desk and allowed himself time to think. He knew he shouldn't be mad at his father, it wasn't his fault. But while the prince could get any tangible thing he desired, he could not get his father's affection, undivided attention, or worse, time. There never seemed to be time to simply sit and talk, to play a game, to even behave like father and son. It was disappointing at best, and perhaps Noctis wouldn't have even realized what he had been missing out on until he saw a classmate being picked up by his father after school.

Jealousy is certainly an ugly thing. Especially in the hands of the youth.

So here Noctis sat determined to wait until his own father could find the time to come search for him himself. But that seemed unlikely, and with a resigned sigh, Noctis put his head down against his knees and curled up further into the tiny space he had created. For once, he allowed himself to be swallowed by his own pity.

Noctis didn't know how long he had sat there though the crick in his neck indicated that he had most likely fallen asleep. With a soft groan, Noctis shook his head to clear his mind from the last remnants of slumber. He then tried to get up only to hit his head against the top of the desk followed by an oomph of surprise muddled with annoyance and pain. The prince had immediately wrapped his hands around his head for protection, and to rub the sore spot now pounding along his skull, but he paused upon looking up.

The top of the desk was decorated with strange designs, but, even more so, there was a peculiar line that ran its way across the entire top half of the desk's drawer. It looked to have been burned into the wood, but upon closer inspection, Noctis noted a deep trench hidden against the shadows of the desk. Out of curiosity, Noctis dug his fingers into the wood trying to pry the compartment open. It took a few minutes, but his fingers, thin and small, finally managed to shake the secret doors open. In a rare moment of excitement Noctis watched the strange drawers open only to find heavy disappointment when only a single slip of parchment paper fell from the ground and slid beneath the desk through its descent.

Of course a desk would only have paper stowed away in its locked secrets. Noctis let out a deep sigh of frustration before curling up upon the ground again and watching the shadows of the twilight grow longer and darker against the wooden paneling. The shadows then crept towards the paper only for Noct's eyes to narrow. The shadows upon the paper were shaped weirdly and came in strange loops too sharp to be just the window's gloomy reflection.

So, with some debate, Noctis squeezed his fingers under the desk before fishing the paper out with little triumph. He then sat up in surprise, while making sure to watch his head this time, upon realizing his suspicions were true. The paper indeed had writing all over it beginning with the very large print on the top in beautifully scripted calligraphy that Noctis recognized as his father's. But that was not what surprised him. The font written at the top was his name. Noctis Lucis Caelum written clear as day within all the loops and swirls.

Noctis didn't dare breath. As if a single wisp of air would destroy his recent find. Whatever it was. And so, Noctis began to read.

 _A stranger has, quite literally, warped from the sky. His name is Noctis Lucis Caelum, and he claims to have come from the future._

 **AN- Okay! Finished! I was originally going to post this on Saturday (like I normally do), but I will be very busy tomorrow, so instead I'm posting tonight. This piece was really fun to write and a great relaxation compared to my other stories. Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I have. On a side note, the title was supposed to be about Noctis as, from Regis' point of view, Noctis just fell from the sky like an astral, so he saw Noctis as some holy being. Or something like that. So, in case you were wondering, that's where the title originated from. In addition to that, the paper young Noctis finds is the same one Regis began to write with while meeting the past Noctis. Hopefully that explains any loose ends, and if there are still questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading!**


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